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A new method to package “inorganic” light emitting diode (LED) chips has been developed that creates a lamp that allows new design concepts for automotive lighting. The lamp is a flexible, very thin LED lamp that can be powered directly from a vehicle's 12 volt system. The technology is a laminated light of inorganic LEDs. This paper provides a background, the capability and example applications of this new technology as it relates to the vehicle transportation market. The unique benefits of a laminated LED lamp will be presented with reliability and performance results.

In support of the Department of Energy ( DOE) "SuperTruck" program, a group of low energy, high output light emitting diode (LED) lamps were developed for forward lighting. Reduction of the energy needs of the truck by saving fuel and reducing CO₂ emissions are two of the goals of this program. In support of the energy reduction, a retrofit LED headlamp was designed, built and tested. The retrofit headlamp was switched from a halogen bulb to an LED-based system. The LED headlamp requires a new approach in heat management. The use of the LED, which is a 2π source, requires a different strategy in the optics from those used with a 4π source, like a traditional incandescent, halogen, or High Intensity Discharge (HID) light source. A thermal management system is necessary to facilitate the long life of the LED source. A unique method for removing the heat of the LED and maintaining an acceptable temperature was tested and reported.